We will be in Paris for the first time in the fall and would like to plan our budget for meals. Can anyone give me a rough average price on the following items:
baguettes....
cheeses.....
crepes......
salads.....
fresh fruit..........
sodas..........
average lunch at a cafe.......
Thanks you in advance for your help!
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Unfortunately, it%26#39;s very hard to generalize becaues it varies so much depending on what area you are in. The best advice is stay away from the heart of tourist country if you want an inexpensive meal (although I realize that%26#39;s not what you actually asked).
Baguettes and cheeses will depend on what type you want. The cost of the %26quot;basic%26quot; baguette is regulated (don%26#39;t recall the exact amount but it%26#39;s not much) but there are many other types of bread (none very expensive) in every boulangerie. Cheese also varies just depending on what you want (as you would expect). Most of what you%26#39;re asking about is not going to be very expensive (e.g., good crepes can be bought very inexpensively from vendors, and you can buy inexpensive small savory tarts in many different boulangeries and patisseries, which will be heated if you wish, and combine it with a soda for lunch).
The cafes -- stay away from anything tourist-oriented if you don%26#39;t want to overpay (if the menu posted outside is in English, beware!). All restaurants post their menus, so you can walk around and check out not only what the ambience looks like, but what is offered and also what it costs, and then make your decisions. That%26#39;s actually one of the fun things to do, IMO.
Have fun! You really just about can%26#39;t go wrong as long as you avoid the obvious tourist traps!
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baquettes are 80 cents at a bakery
sandwiches for take out are usually about 3.50- 4 or so
lunch salads at a cafe run around 8-9 Euro
Sodas from a store are inexpensive -- at a cafe they will be 3 or 4 Euro at least (and you will get a fairly small serving)
tap water and a croque monsieur or luncheon salad at a cafe will run from 5 or 6 Euro to 9 or 10
all restaurants, cafes, bistros, bars have menus posted so you can see choices and prices -- any time you sit down the drinks become expensive and where there is take out food (e.g. the cafe in the Tuilleries the cost is greater to sit down) -- you can get a coffee at the bar for about 1.5 Euro or so but it will be at least twice that at a table (bar price lists show that difference)
it is not uncommon to see a lunch or dinner menu (choice of 2 or 3 items) for between 10 and 18 Euro -- 12 or 15 is rather typical (make sure that you understand if the %26#39;menu%26#39; includes all the courses or is just for the main course plate) e.g. it might include a meat special with a vegetable on the plate -- and then a dessert like an applie tart -- sometimes the tart is presented on the menu board but is an add on
%26#39;menu%26#39; refers to the set meal special -- %26#39;carte%26#39; is the menu from which you can select other options e.g. a la carte
so if one of you wants the menu, others can get more modestly priced options like a sandwich on the %26#39;carte%26#39;
these %26#39;menu%26#39; special meals are advertised on blackboards in front of the cafe so in the evening you can wander around at dinner time until you spot options that appeal to your wallet and your taste buds (we found the best bistros and cafes often needed reservations in the evening -- so if you know of a place or spot a place - call and reserve that morning for that evening -- dinner generally begins at 7:30 or later -- 8:30 might be when the crowds arrive but if you stroll up at 7:30, even though the place looks empty the tables may all be reserved)
to get free water which is perfectly fine and the choice of most Parisians who lunch or dine in a bistro just ask for
%26#39;caraff d%26#39;oh%26#39; they will bring you a jug of water (even in Les Hombres -- a snooty and expensive restaurant we noticed that the local Parisians all seemed to have caraffes of water on their tables although the waiter %26#39;assumed%26#39; bottled water when the order was taken i.e. %26#39;will that be still or with gas%26#39; -- we would have had to take the initiative to say %26#39;caraffe d%26#39;oh%26#39; -- so the tourists were all paying 7 Euro for bottled water) Water is a big profit center and you can save a bundle by getting the tap water.
cheeses in nice cheese shops are not cheap -- a goat is likely to range from 2 Euro to 7 or 8 depending on quality or size -- only itty bitty ones are 2 but you can probably get a goat that would be good for two people with a baquette for lunch for about 5 Euro -- it is great fun to shop for cheese in Paris -- so many fabulous choices
hit the monoprix or franprix supermarkets for basics like milk, cokes, yogurt and the greengrocers which are all over to get a banana or apple or whatever -- or if you run across markets shop for fruit there --
The baquette sandwiches like %26#39;Jambon Buerre%26#39; are tasty and cheap and wine in wine shops and supermarkets is cheap
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WOW-thanks grace for such time and detail. Your thoughts are very much appreciated and I am making notes as we speak. One last question. You mentioned wine is cheap. Do you buy wine at places like the Monoprix? How much would an inexpensive bottle of wine run you? Thanks again.....
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For cheap but good wines, go to a %26quot;Nicolas%26quot; shop rather than Monoprix. It is a chain specialised in wines. You will find several Nicolas in each neighborhood, open late and also open on sunday morning. You will be able to find nice wines for 3/4 € a bottle : ask for advices, salesmen are generally very friendly.
If you tell us in which district you will stay, we could tell you more about adresses.
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We are staying in the 1st district right near the Louvre. Does that help?
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It is not the cheapest district in Paris! We have been in Toronto in 2005 and I guess you will find everything more expensive in Paris, especially because of the actual rate for the Euro. I would consider 20 % more than what you pay in Ontario in cafes and restaurants.
You%26#39;ll find a Monoprix 21 av Opéra 75001 PARIS, and a Nicolas (for wine) 17 av Opéra 75001 PARIS
Restaurant are rather expensive near the Palais Royal and the Opéra. You should go
- either a little further north : try the rue Montorgueil, you will find a nice street market at day time and plenty of restaurants.
- or cross the Seine (on the ponts des arts) to go to Saint Germain and Saint Michel district : also plenty of restaurants, including budget meals.
All this will be walking distance from the Louvre.
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What we found is bread products are a very good deal, usually under 2 euro oe less and very good, dinners at the cafes are not too bad, usually 15 to 25 euros. Sandwiches are 4-10 euros with the standard have and cheese at usally 4.
What is really priced out of line with what we are accostomed to are the drinks, cokes and bottled water can be very expensive- usually around 4 euros for somehting we would pay 1/3 of that for, cocktails are really high, easy to spend 10 euro on a cocktail so avoid them. Beer can be 5 euros, coffee around 3 euros. Bottles of wine are not too bad, maybe 15-25 euros, They have carafes of wine called pitchers that are cheap, but the wine was not very good.
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I haven%26#39;t seen it mentioned in any of the replies ... so here goes ...
I just came back from Paris and I found that the best way to eat breakfast and lunch was by takeaway. Cafes will often charge more for sit-down service - and even more for patio service. For example, an expresso was 1.5 Euro to stand at the bar and drink. It was 4Euro to sit down at a table.
It%26#39;s not uncommon to see people eating and walking, and in fact I believe I saw a lot of locals doing it. Plus, there are a number of parks and parkettes that you%26#39;ll pass on your travels. Having an impromptu picnic can actually be more fun than sitting in a crowded, smoky cafe.
As others have said, prices do vary from place to place. Your best bet, as mentioned, is to stay out of the tourist areas when eating, as you%26#39;re bound to pay top Euro for lackluster food.
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%26quot;The cost of the %26quot;basic%26quot; baguette is regulated (don%26#39;t recall the exact amount but it%26#39;s not much) %26quot;
Not any longer and it has been so for several years.
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Pvoyageuse: thanks, obviously I have not paid attention to that issue for quite sometime.
As to the Nicolas suggestion for wine: I definitely agree that they are reasonable and reliable, and they are absolutely everywhere!
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